AN ORGANISATION offering pleasure flights in a vintage plane for terminally ill children is being investigated by the Charity Commission. The International Tiger Moth Charitable Trust, run by 43-year-old Adrian Matthews, of Newbold, Rochdale, was taken off the register of limited companies at Companies House in June 2004 for failing to submit its accounts. The organisation is now being probed by the regulatory watchdog, the Charity Commission, after Mr Matthews made a public appeal for cash to help maintain its £60,000-a-year running costs. The commission’s website also shows the organisation, which operates under the name Tigers For Kids, was removed from the register of charities in July this year. One of the trustees, Mr Matthews’ brother Bryan, said the company had lain dormant for some time and had not brought in enough money to reach the accounts threshold. He said the old registered charity number had accidentally been left up on the website but that an application had been made to the Charity Commission to re-register about a month ago. He said that following appearances in the media by his brother the organisation had not accepted any money. In previous interviews Adrian Matthews said the organisation had helped more than 500 terminally ill children enjoy the trip of a lifetime in his vintage Tiger Moth plane. The former Balderstone High School pupil founded Tigers For Kids in 1998. On Monday its website referred to it as a charitable trust. It was formerly based at Full Sutton airfield, near York, but recently relocated. Some flights have taken off from Barton airfield near Manchester. This summer Rochdale MP Paul Rowen praised Tigers For Kids after being taken on a flight by Mr Matthews. A spokeswoman for the Charity Commission said“We removed this charity from the register of charities on 16 July this year, as it had ceased to exist in June 2004 when it was struck off the register at Companies House. The commission has concerns that the organisation is still claiming to be a charity.” The Manchester Evening News tried to contact Adrian Matthews but he did not return calls. Mr Rowen said: “I have been aware of a number of allegations made against this organisation. I appreciate that these are currently under investigation and wouldn’t want to comment any further until the results of this are known.”